How do you become a successful novelist?

Perhaps you expected me to say ‘talent’. You hear authors being praised for being talented. It’s written in buyers’ reviews and newspaper reviews, it’s said when awards are being given out, and it’s mentioned when someone recommends a book to a friend.

Writing talent is overrated. In fact, the word ‘talent’ is unhelpful. Talent suggests that a particular author can ‘just do it’ naturally, almost without thinking. It makes new writers think they can’t become authors because they aren’t good enough.

The writer who is willing to learn and who sticks with it will do better than the writer who tries to get by on talent alone. Every single time.

A writer with a little bit of natural ability with words, plus a willingness to learn and keep at it will do better than someone who imagines fantastic scenes but hardly ever writes them down and never seeks to deepen their understanding.

That little bit of natural ability lives in all of us because we are all people. That means it lives in you too. Telling stories is fundamental to being human. The difference between those ‘talented’ authors with fantastic stories on offer and the rest of the human population is just those two things: learning and practice… unglamorous as that might sound!

How do you become a successful novelist?

You can do it too if that’s what you really want. You can put a novel (or several novels) out into the world. Perhaps you’ll read reviews about how ‘talented’ you are!

By working with a fabulous publisher, I can offer you something that gets you from beginner fiction writer to published author. First, a full digital course teaches you all the essentials of writing a novel. You’ll understand structure, character creation, and how to write a scene that speaks to your readers’ imaginations. You’ll develop confidence and experience lightbulb moments of understanding.

Then, you continue your journey with me in my small, supportive community of writers, learning in a hivemind manner through monthly group sessions, weekend writing challenges, feedback sessions, writing sprint sessions, as well as monthly one-to-one sessions with me to discuss your project and keep you on the right lines. This is a whole year of support.

Many writers stay with me much longer than twelve months. You have the option to continue if you wish – but there’s no obligation.

By then, you could have your manuscript ready to begin the publication process. You receive a copyedit of your manuscript from me to make sure it is the best it can be. The wonderful team at Authors & Co. take care of your book’s professional formatting, beautiful cover design and publishing.